Bottle of Promises
by Peaches-hime
Summary: just a collection of short stories and one shots of cute pairings. Ch2: They say that Aphrodite's children are most selfish. What most don't know is that they'll sacrifice their happiness for the ones they love. Especially Silena.
1. promises

**disclaimer**: I don't own PJO.

pairing: Thalia x Luke

prompt: Dreams~ (from a tumblr otp post!)

notes: starting a collection of short stories/one shots of pairings ~

\- peaches

* * *

Every night the feeling of falling grew stronger. Thalia would feel as if she were a rag doll, the strength of gravity feeling like it was growing larger and larger. She could almost feel the wind whipping past her form, and the cold chill of the air seeping into her bones as she fell screaming into the dark abyss of the underworld.

How could he have let go of her hand? How could he have let her fall? He promised! _Promised_!

"No!" She felt herself scream, the high vibrato a strangled sound that ripped from her chords. _No, no, no..._

Thalia jolted upright. Her breathing came in short irregular pants, and she scanned her bedroom warily. The moon shone through the sheer white curtains, and the stars that blinked back at her on the night sky did little to soothe her pounding heart and restless mind.

"Thals..." Came a deep timbre murmur, the tone laced with drowsiness. A warm large hand reached up to her bare shoulder, the thumb pad drawing lazy circles on her smooth skin.

Her posture relaxed immediately, her body responding to the rough, familiar touch.

"Luke," she sighed, turning her head down to look at her husband, her black bangs falling into her eyes. He gazed up at her with worried ocean blue eyes as he brushed the hair from her forehead and touched the apple of her cheek. He then moved his fingers down her arm, the light feathery touches making her breath slow down. When his hand finally reached hers, he gently massaged her knuckles, coaxing her hand to ease their iron grip on the sheets.

"Bad dream?" He asked, unmoving on their bed.

Thalia nodded. "Every time," she whispered, her eyes locking with his. "Every time, I fall. I don't know how, but you always let me fall."

He closed his eyes then, a hurt expression gracing his features. "I'm sorry," he replied, and Thalia knew it was just a generic response, as how could he ever reply to something like that?

His arm came up around her waist and she snuggled back down, cuddling against his warm, hard chest. He kept their hands intertwined, kissing her forehead softly. "You know," he murmured. "It was just a dream. I would never let you go."

Thalia kissed his knuckle as he settled his head on top of hers, and she was slowly lulled back into a dreamless, peaceful slumber.

•*´¨`*•

The alarm clock noise woke her up at six, along with Apollo's sunlight glaring at her through the windows.

Thalia stretched and moved to the right, noticing that he was gone. There was no trace of Luke ever being there. The sheets lay straight, just as how they were when she went to bed. The bubble of panic she experienced last night in her nightmare grew tenfold.

"You promised," she muttered, shrugging into a black satin nightgown. Standing up from her bed she moved to her mirror and make up stand, her finger beginning to trace the metal vines like an old known pathway in the woods. She finally stopped at an old photograph of a young couple. The girl had short black spiky hair and the boy had sandy blonde waves. They stood together at a lakeside, his arm looping around her waist, and she smiling adoringly at him.

"Nana Thalia! Nana Thalia!" Came a young girl's voice, and Thalia looked up at the mirror to face a woman with soft white hair, wrinkled skin and electrifying blue eyes that told tales of a once beautiful lady.

"In here," she called for her granddaughter, and as soon as the black haired little girl with ocean blue eyes ran into the room to clamber up onto her lap, she looked at the small card placed next to the photograph and her heart ached with joy:

_Until the end of time, I will never let you fall. - L._


	2. crave you

pairing: one-sided Silena x Beckendorf

prompt: song- _Crave You_ ft. Giselle by Flight Facilities

\- peaches

* * *

_Why can't you want me like the other boys do? They stare at me, while I stare at you. _

Silena knew she had it all. Money, good looks, a lavish lifestyle, and a group of doting, devoted girls. As she swayed and sashayed her way around the camp's lake, flipping her long brown hair as she passed the nymphs who sighed with jealousy, she wrinkled her nose in thought.

If she had all this, why was she so miserable? There was only one answer: him.

Why didn't he look at her the way other boys do? Was she not pretty enough? No. That was just laughable. She's the daughter of Aphrodite, for love's sake! So what was wrong?

Pausing before she fully made her rounds (doing her prefectorial duty, of course), she decided not to return to the cabin. The lake looked inviting enough with the sun heading down, sending spirals of ombre orange swirling in the water. Settling herself down by a bunch of smooth rocks, she sat in silence, listening to the soothing swish of the lake shore reaching to kiss the sand at her feet. A twinkle in the ripples caught her gaze and soon she found herself staring at her reflection.

_There's nothing wrong, _her mind repeated sternly back at her. He just had his mind on another girl. Silena just wasn't his type.

And those thoughts made the sharp pang in her chest pulsate even harder, as if her heart was delicate glass being shattered on cold marble tiles.

A rustling from the bushes beside her jostled her, and her hand instinctively unsheathed her sword from her belt. She whirled it in a neat arc to point it at the intruder. Dark brown eyes stared back at her under dark chocolate brown curls and the caramel skin over his Adam's apple bobbed up and down with apprehensiveness. "Hey."

Silena felt the cool flood of relief wash over her, then a startling zap of pain in her chest as she stared at him. Breaking eye contact and sheathing her sword, she settled down again. "Beckendorf," she greeted, and closed her eyes to avoid looking back at him.

"Beckendorf? One day later and it's Beckendorf?" His voice rumbled in surprise and hurt coloured his tone. "Silena," he continued slowly. "You've been avoiding me all day."

She breathed in and out, begging her heart to calm itself. Carefully, she moved her hand to the ground to grab some gravel, slowly letting its coarse grains slip through her fingers. They were intercepted by a much larger, warmer hand with rough callouses. He intertwined their fingers. "You know why, Ch-"

"No, I don't."

Her eyes fluttered open to find Beckendorf almost nose to nose with her. "If you want something…" he breathed, and she felt her whole soul shiver in excitement at their close proximity. "Just say it."

_I want you. I want you to want me, like I want you._

No. She knew his heart belonged to someone else and as the daughter of Aphrodite, she would see that his special girl received all the love she could possibly have. And for him… all the love he deserved. Who was Silena to be selfish and not work with the gift she had? Who was she to turn her back on her mother's teachings?

With a heavy heart, she grasped his hand with both of her own, and looked him in the eye. "No, Charlie, I have all that I want."

_Why can't I keep you safe as my own?_

_One moment I have you the next you're gone_

_Rehearsed steps on an empty stage_

_The boy's got my heart in a silver cage_

_Why can't you want me like the other boys do?_

_They stare at me while I… crave you._


End file.
